Happy And Healthy Lifestyle

“Progress is impossible without change.” ~Walt Disney I want you to look in the mirror and tell me what you see. Do you look older? Does your skin have more wrinkles? Do you notice dark circles around your eyes or white hair on your head? You are looking at massive changes from a decade ago. A lot of it you probably don’t like—changes due to your body growing older. Changes that you cannot resist. Now look in the mirror again. Do you notice a more confident person? Someone who is self-assured, optimistic, and happy in life? It happened to me a few weeks back when I was getting ready for an interview. For my preparation, I was talking to myself in the mirror, and as I paused, I had this moment of mindfulness in which all I noticed was my confidence, optimism, and positive energy. This one epiphany completely shifted how I looked at change. That day in the mirror, I saw progress. I saw a shy anxious kid—one who was afraid and bullied— completely flip the script on its head to bec...

“I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.” ~ Hafiz of Shiraz When we think of illness, we don’t usually equate it with loneliness; however, there seems to be a huge connection between the two conditions. The fact is, when dealing with health challenges, we are most connected to our bodies: we are one with ourselves. Even when we have thoughtful and caring loved ones in our inner circles, these individuals can never truly understand what we’re experiencing on a physical, psychological, and spiritual level. Illness is lonely, but loneliness is not just about being alone; it is a state of mind. Being lonely is about feeling disconnected from those around you, whether from an interpersonal or universal standpoint. Those who are lonely feel empty and drained. For years, I’ve pondered the connection between loneliness and illness. My musings began in 2001 at the age of forty-seven with my first bout of cancer. While raising t...

“What I’m looking for is not out there, it is in me.” ~Helen Keller I used to think that life should be easy, and if it wasn’t easy, then I was doing it wrong. I’m older and wiser now, and I’ve learned that if it is hard, that means I am probably doing something right. I had a good childhood. I had a loving family, plenty of opportunity, and I excelled at whatever I put my mind to. But I was a high-anxiety kid, and a relentless perfectionist. As I grew older, that need to have everything flawless impeded my ability to be happy because I didn’t like myself very much. When I got married, I felt like I had added a notch to my self-worth belt. As someone who didn’t have a whole lot of self-esteem or love for herself, when someone else loved me, it was just what I needed to feel validated, or so I thought. But that wore off too. Then, I had kids, which was amazing—I love being a mom. But there was still something missing. I was happy enough, but I didn’t feel alive. There was this li...

“When solving problems, dig at the root instead of just hacking at the leaves.” ~Anthony J. D’Angelo This is an account of my experience using marijuana as a device to help my anxiety, why I’m glad I had it, and why I no longer need it. This story isn’t an advocation for or against smoking pot. It’s a story to shed some insight into how and why it helped certain ailments and my journey to lasting change without it. How Smoking Pot Helped My Anxiety For most of my life I was a closet anxiety sufferer. That’s mostly because I didn’t have a label for how I felt until I was thirty. My anxiety brought insomnia, tension headaches, stomach problems, and social anxiety in addition to the swirl of bees that lived in my chest. One symptom that drove me nuts was incessant queasiness. In my twenties I dated a guy who smoked pot, so I gave it a try to see if it would help my stomach. And it helped. A lot. Then I noticed it helped me fall asleep. It helped with my ADD by letting me focus ...

“Recovering from PTSD is being fragile and strong at the same time. It’s a beautiful medley of constantly being broken down and pieced together. I am a painting almost done to completion, beautiful but not quite complete.” ~Kate J. Tate I never considered myself as a trauma survivor. I didn’t think I had something as severe as PTSD . I reserved that diagnosis to those who suffered from things far worse than me. It felt dramatic and attention-seeking to label myself as a “trauma survivor.” First of all, what is trauma? The term tends to be loosely thrown around, and the meaning can be hard to identify. Essentially, trauma is an event that overwhelms the central nervous system and exceeds our ability to cope or integrate the emotions involved with that experience. The more frightened and helpless we feel, the more likely we are to be traumatised. PTSD is a mental health condition that can develop after a person has been through a traumatic event or has experienced repeated exposure...

Since you’re a Tiny Buddha reader, I know you’re someone who understands the importance of fostering wisdom and compassion. And I imagine you’re also interested in learning how you can help create a more peaceful world, with less suffering for all. The Dalai Lama has dedicated his life to guiding others, like a beacon of hope, along the path to a more peaceful world. His teachings and example have inspired and warmed the hearts of millions. Over six days, Lion’s Roar and Tibet House US are bringing together 22 presenters, including Buddhist teachers, spiritual leaders, scientists, best-selling authors, scholars, and some of the Dalai Lama’s closest students, to celebrate the life and teachings of one of the world’s greatest spiritual leaders and global visionaries. Sign up for free and tune into any of the 40+ inspiring talks, teachings, and meditations as the presenters share their insight into six key themes of the Dalai Lama’s message to the world. Presenters include: Sharon ...

“Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.” ~George S. Patton Much of the difficulty and struggle that we go through in life comes from our resistance to change. At some point, we get stuck in painful circumstances, yet we fear facing our reality and doing the work required to ignite a positive change. After all, the enemy we know is better than the enemy we don’t know. It’s not that bad, we tell ourselves. So we settle, give up on our desires, try to make the best of what we got—and that works for a while. Until staying stuck becomes unbearable. Until we acknowledge that not dealing with our realities is making us sick. Until we realize that resisting change is self-betrayal. Until we say, enough! In retrospect, I heard the call for change my whole life, only I didn’t realize it because of my weak sense of self. I was a sensitive child who experienced everything on a deeper level. Growing up in a difficult environment, experiencing trauma at a young age, and feeling unl...